


Love Bites and Awkward Questions

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 08:11:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6746221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alistair is confused by a bruise on Sereda's neck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Bites and Awkward Questions

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt list. 
> 
> Prompt: Love bites

Alistair peers down at Sereda, squinting suspiciously.  

Sereda glares back at up him.  She doesn’t appreciate the way some humans squint down at her like she’s some strange  _ thing _ .  As far as she’s concerned, they’re the strange ones.  It’s unusual, though, because Alistair has always treated her like an equal.  

“Can I help you?” Sereda finally snaps.  

“Sorry!” Alistair apologizes immediately, looking flustered.  “You’ve got something on your neck.  It wasn’t there last night.”

Sereda presses her hand to her neck, making sure there’s no obvious wound.  “I don’t feel anything.”

“Right there!  There’s a bruise!” Alistair says, pointing at her neck.  

“Oh,” Sereda says, blushing   “That’s… fine.”

“What happened?” Alistair asks.

Sereda inhales deeply, mainly to buy herself a little time.  She’s fairly certain that Alistair doesn’t want a graphic description of what she and Zevran got up to last night.  

“Well, you see, Alistair, the Warden and I were enjoying ourselves last night- you heard us, yes?- and I became quite overcome with excitement.  I was, perhaps, a little overzealous,” Zevran’s voice drifts from behind her.  He’s loud enough for the entire camp to hear him, even those few who are still asleep.

“The assassin hurt you?” Alistair hisses, leaning forward.  “Sereda, this could be part of his plan!”

Sereda leans forward, too, as if she’s trying to keep quiet, even though she can feel that Zevran is close enough behind her to hear her.  “Don’t worry.  I’m pretty sure that sucking on my neck isn’t the most reliable way to murder me.”

“Indeed, and it would mean our fair Warden was also trying to kill me,” Zevran chimes in.

“Oops,” Sereda says.

She grins up at Zevran, unsurprised to see a matching grin on his face.  He tugs the collar of his shirt down to expose a bruise on his collarbone.  

“I’m not.  I promise,” Sereda adds, looking between Zevran and Alistair.  “We’re not murdering each other.  Just having sex.”

Alistair looks simultaneously disgusted and suspicious.  “Don’t the darkspawn give us enough bruises?”

“Ah, but these are of a very different kind, my friend!  These are not the punitive and clumsy attacks left by darkspawn, but marks left by passion and pleasure,” Zevran says, and Sereda can imagine the wide grin on his face as Alistair squirms.  

“Lots of pleasure,” Sereda adds.  “Which is the opposite of murder.”

Alistair scrunches his nose.  “Is it bad that I kinda wish this was murder?  Because I don’t need to know any more about what you get up to late at night.”

Sereda laughs, thankful that Zevran didn’t interject something about enjoying murder.  It wouldn’t put Alistair’s mind at ease.  “I’m pretty sure it is kinda bad given the sheer amount of people who want us dead.  But I understand.”

But, of course, Zevran has a different take.  “You would rather your dear friend was murdered in her tent than pleasured in her tent?  Tsk, Alistair, how terrible of you, truly.”

“Well not really, obviously!” Alistair says, turning red.  “But would  _ you _ want to know if I was, you know, in my tent?”

Sereda looks up at Alistair in surprise, stifling a smile because she can't believe that he honestly asked Zevran that.  She guesses that having spent so long in the Chantry, he's not used to people quite as open about sex as Zevran is.  From what she’s heard about the Chantry since coming to the surface, it doesn’t sound like the most open place.  The Chantry doesn’t sound like fun.

At least Alistair looks properly horrified with himself, like he can’t believe the mistake he just made.

“Alistair, my friend, of course I would want to know if you were having sex!” Zevran says, coming around and clapping Alistair on the shoulder companionably.  “Very little would please me more than to know that you were enjoying yourself!  It would be good for you.  I would offer my services, but I would not want to put the beautiful Warden before us out.  Although, the prospect of being between the both of you is quite appealing.  All that Grey Warden stamina.”

“Zevran, I think that you’re going to send Alistair into fits,” Sereda says as Alistair tries to stutter together a reply.  “There aren’t enough Grey Wardens in Ferelden as it is.  I need him.  And I’m not having sex with him.”

Someone has to explain human politics and birds to her.

“Ah, well, for you, dear Warden, I will not inquire further about Alistair’s sex life,” Zevran says, reaching over to squeeze her arm.  “Nor ask if you wish to partake in it.”

“I appreciate that,” Sereda says dryly.  

“However, if you ever change your mind-” Zevran starts.

“I won’t,” Alistair interrupts.

“-I am here for you,” Zevran finishes.  

Zevran exchanges smirks with Sereda as he saunters back to sit by the fire.  She watches him go with a soft smile on her face.  

“You remember he tried to kill us, right?” Alistair asks.

Sereda looks away from Zevran to make eye contact with Alistair.  “Yep.”

“Okay, just checking,” Alistair says.

Sereda snorts.  “It’s nice of you to care.”

“If he ever hurts you, physically or in whatever other way...” Alistair lets the threat dangle.

As much as Sereda is supremely capable of taking care of herself- at least as far as her sex life is concerned- she appreciates the gesture.  Even though they’ve only known each other for a relatively short time, in some ways he feels like the brother she never had.  Of course, she had two brothers, but he’s less manipulative, less murderous, and much kinder than either of her brothers ever were, as much as she loves them both.  It’s a nice change.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, but thank you, Alistair.  That means a lot,” Sereda says, smiling up at him.  “But, you know, a little bruise on my neck isn’t something to charge after him about.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Alistair says, shaking his head.

Sereda laughs.  Honestly, she’s in a whole new world, combating political forces totally unknown to her (which, okay, she grew up learning to navigate politics, but surface politics are different), and everything is too big for her.  Zevran and killing darkspawn are probably the only things that make any sort of sense to her these days.  

“What’s so funny?” Alistair asks.

She has to take a moment to compose herself.  No one wants the leader to admit that, honestly, she has no idea what she’s doing.  If they weren’t killing darkspawn, she’d be completely lost.  That’s the same on the surface, at least.

“Just…” Sereda presses her lips together, grinding her teeth to find an answer.  “I’m glad to have you as a friend, Alistair.”

Alistair’s face softens as he touches her shoulder.  “You too.”

Okay, Zevran, killing darkspawn, and her friendship with Alistair are the only things that make sense these days.  But it’s enough to keep her going.


End file.
